What AV Ventures does

AV Ventures is a Washington, D.C.-based impact investing fund manager and wholly-owned subsidiary of ACDI/VOCA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit international development organization founded in 1963. Launched in September 2016, AV Ventures provides innovative, catalytic financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and financial institutions in underserved markets, addressing the structural financing gap faced by agricultural enterprises, food systems companies, technology startups, tourism businesses, and consumer goods companies in developing economies. Its primary customer segments are SMEs lacking access to traditional financing in Kenya, Ghana, Central Asia, and Burkina Faso, and financial institutions (microfinance organizations, banks, and lending entities) that serve underserved populations through on-lending.

AV Ventures' core products are four impact investing funds: the Impact for Northern Kenya (INK) Fund launched in December 2020 with USAID Kuza financing, the AV Ventures Ghana Fund, the Central Asia Impact (CAIF) Fund launched in March 2020 covering Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, and the SELEVER Impact Fund in Burkina Faso. It also partners with Pomona Impact Fund II in Central America. The business uses a hybrid distribution model combining direct SME investments with wholesale lending to local financial institutions for on-lending. Notable portfolio company validation includes AgroCenta (Ghana), selected as the sole African participant in the Techstars Farm to Fork Class of 2022 accelerator.

As a nonprofit fund manager subsidiary, AV Ventures does not publicly disclose pricing or management fee structures. Its revenue mechanics are derived from fund management fees, donor-funded program allocations, and technical assistance grants channeled through ACDI/VOCA's 501(c)(3) structure. The organization operates with 501-1000 employees at the parent AV Group level (which includes ACDI/VOCA and affiliates), serves markets across Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia, and is led under the broader AV Group umbrella, with Charles J Hall serving as Chief Executive Officer of ACDI/VOCA.

Name

AV Ventures

Legal name

AV Ventures

Website

https://acdivoca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

AV Ventures is a nonprofit impact investing fund manager and subsidiary of ACDI/VOCA that provides catalytic financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and financial institutions across Kenya, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Central Asia, and Central America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Investment Fund Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Other Financial Vehicles (52599), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Impact Investment & Development Investment Funds (BPADACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG), Impact Investing (Intentional, Measurable Social/Environmental Outcomes) (FSAAALAC), ESG Integration / Responsible Investment Funds (Broad ESG) (FSANAJAL)

Keywords

• Impact investing funds
• Development finance
• SME catalytic financing
• Agribusiness investment
• Microfinance wholesale lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Core offering

AV Ventures is the impact-investing fund management arm of ACDI/VOCA that structures and manages regional funds delivering catalytic debt and equity financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in agribusiness, food systems, technology, tourism, and consumer goods, alongside wholesale lending to local financial institutions serving micro and small enterprises. It currently manages four impact-investing funds across Kenya, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Central Asia, and partners with Pomona Impact Fund II in Central America.

Product overview

AV Ventures is an impact investing fund manager that provides innovative, catalytic financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and financial institutions. The organization manages four impact investing funds: the Impact for Kenya (INK) Fund, the AV Ventures Ghana Fund, the Central Asia Impact (CAIF) Fund, and the SELEVER Impact Fund in Burkina Faso. Additionally, AV Ventures partnered with Pomona Impact Fund II in Central America and launched the Impact for Northern Kenya Fund in December 2020.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Impact for Kenya (INK) Fund: Impact investing fund managed by AV Ventures in Kenya.
• AV Ventures Ghana Fund
• Central Asia Impact (CAIF) Fund
• SELEVER Impact Fund

Products and services

• AV Ventures Impact Investing Funds (portfolio) Umbrella portfolio of four regional impact investing funds managed by AV Ventures that provide innovative, catalytic debt and equity financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and financial institutions in Kenya, Ghana, Central Asia, and Burkina Faso, designed to address the financing gap in developing markets.
• Impact for Kenya (INK) Fund Impact investing fund managed by AV Ventures that provides wholesale catalytic financing to financial institutions in Kenya's Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) region for on-lending to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
• AV Ventures Ghana Fund Impact investing fund managed by AV Ventures that provides catalytic financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana, with a focus on agribusiness market-system development as evidenced by its partnership with the USDA-funded Ghana Poultry Project.
• Central Asia Impact (CAIF) Fund Impact investing fund managed by AV Ventures that supports small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the food, agriculture, technology, tourism, and consumer goods sectors across Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
• SELEVER Impact Fund Impact investing fund managed by AV Ventures that provides catalytic financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Burkina Faso.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Calvert Impact Capital: Calvert Impact Capital is a nonprofit impact investing intermediary that raises and deploys capital for financial inclusion, climate solutions, and sustainable development globally. It is a peer in the multi-fund impact investing platform category.
• Root Capital: Root Capital is a nonprofit impact lender that provides working capital and trade financing to agricultural SMEs in Africa and Latin America. It is a direct peer of AV Ventures in catalyzing capital for underserved agribusiness SMEs in developing markets.
• responsAbility Investments: responsAbility is a Swiss-based impact asset manager investing in financial inclusion, climate, and food systems across emerging markets. Comparable to AV Ventures as a fund manager focused on SME and FI financing in developing economies.
• Acumen: Acumen is a nonprofit impact investment fund manager investing patient capital in early-stage enterprises serving low-income customers in Africa and South Asia. It is directly comparable to AV Ventures in deploying catalytic, mission-driven capital to SMEs in frontier markets.
• Pomona Impact: Pomona Impact is a venture philanthropy fund manager investing in social enterprises in Latin America, and AV Ventures is an explicit partner with Pomona Impact Fund II in Central America. This makes Pomona a direct peer and operating partner of AV Ventures.
• TriLinc Global Impact Fund: TriLinc Global is an impact investment fund manager providing debt and equity financing to established SMEs in developing economies. Comparable to AV Ventures in extending trade and working capital finance across frontier markets.
• BlueOrchard Finance: BlueOrchard is a leading global impact investment manager focused on financial inclusion and SME financing in emerging and frontier markets. It is a peer in deploying blended capital through financial institutions to reach underserved SMEs.
• Global Partnerships: Global Partnerships is an impact investing fund that supports financial inclusion for people living in poverty, primarily in Latin America and East Africa. It is a peer in providing catalytic capital through local FIs to underserved populations.

Emerging players

• Kiva: Kiva is a nonprofit crowdfunding platform that provides crowdfunded microloans to underserved borrowers worldwide. It is a partial peer in addressing the SME/microenterprise financing gap in developing markets through innovative capital structures.

Broad incumbents

• Omidyar Network: Omidyar Network is a philanthropic impact investment firm operating across multiple geographies and sectors. It is a broad incumbent in the impact investing space, with overlapping thesis on financial inclusion and SME development in emerging markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acdivoca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AV Ventures